Zoo-med actually does make very good products that not many other big brands make. They also have lower prices than exo-terra products in most cases. I like both Zoomed and ExoTerra, it's Flukers you have to stay away from, they aren't exactly out there for the betterment of the reptile community...

-Lauren

"Change is almost always for the better, never forget, never regret, just live learn and move on"

maybe its just the stuff they sent to the petco where i live..(i try not to shop at petco but sometimes i have too).. there lights brake all the time... i also got a incebator online one time... and its crap... pure crap... yeah exo-tera is spendy but on the one hand i would pay 3 bucks more for a light.. if i know it was going to last 4 months longer...
one thing il say about zoo-med is that ARE out there to try to better the reptile community they do all this side work studying reps

The brand I like the best is bit up and coming... Zilla. So far I haven't found a "bad" product yet! They actually sell the "right" kind of cage supplies - like a felt-like mat as the substrate to a leo cage, the right kind of thermometer, etc.

Anyway, it really all depends on the actual product itself and how you use it. I'm sure every brand has a couple good things! Lol.

-Lauren

"Change is almost always for the better, never forget, never regret, just live learn and move on"

So... if you use a screen cage for a crested, how do you maintain humidity??? I want a crested gecko sometime in the (hopefully near) future, and am searching and reading up what I can.

"“I’m telling you that, It’s never that bad; take it from someone who’s been where you’re at… I’m reaching out; to let you know that you’re not alone… Stop thinking about; the easy way out…” -Lullaby, Nickelback, "Here and Now" album
Krissy K.
My YouTube Animal lover always

Humidity is a very over-rated issue with crested geckos in my opinion. I've found that they do not require nearly as high an ambient humidity as most imagine and they do not need to be kept like frogs with frequent spray downs.

I kept a breeding trio in a large screen cage for over 3 years and had absolutely 0 issues. All of the geckos shed just fine, laid their eggs to yield successful breeding efforts, and ate and behaved perfectly normal. They actually do very well with screen and love climbing on it - some speculate it can help to prevent te onset of floppy tail syndrome due to the more constant use of muscle to climb.

I would still advocate more frequent mistings if using screen though - while I generally only spray down my animals once nightly in glass vivaria, I would recommend a good heavy misting at night and a couple of lighter mistings during the day if once everything has dried up. But you do not need to go out of your way to purchase a automatic misting system, fogger, or some other expensive device just for screen caging unless the ambient humidity in your home is exceptionally low... I never had a single issue with mine though.

The only reason I stopped using the screen was for cleaning purposes and the desire to make a better naturalistic display with greater visibility. When they defecate on the sides of the screen it can be a nuisance to clean thoroughly in a way that removes all the residue, but a soapy toothbush does a pretty solid job. I now use the Exo-Terra cages for all of my rhacs though.

You can see the screen cage I used in Post #8 on Page 1 of this Thread = )

thanks so much! what is your average humidity of you house and what do you try to keep your rhacs at? I don't believe my humidity is "low" in my house- it's about average. maybe higher on rainy and foggy days for obvious reasons.

"“I’m telling you that, It’s never that bad; take it from someone who’s been where you’re at… I’m reaching out; to let you know that you’re not alone… Stop thinking about; the easy way out…” -Lullaby, Nickelback, "Here and Now" album
Krissy K.
My YouTube Animal lover always

I never measure my rhacs to be honest with you; I just kind of play by observation. If I notice a shedding issue, I will increase misting frequency. You also want to mist in cycles - allow the substrate and cage decor to completely dry out before misting again to prevent giving mold and other junk from having a nice moist environment. They do not need a constant high humidity value at all times, just cycle it = )

I'd say the average humidity in my house is 45% - in the winter I try to increase the frequency of my spray times just a touch since it is naturally drier, but most of the time a single solid spray down at night is adequate in glass caging for me. I'd aim to do a heavy misting at night, and a couple of light sprays during the morning-daytime in a screen cage and that should be just fine. I've never misted more than 2-3x daily in any rhac viv though do use moisture retaining substrate like coir/bioactive mixes or cypress mulch/bark in that screen cage.